Question regarding Nikon 50mm lens

Hello,
I have recently acquired the Nikon D80 camera, and am looking to buy a new lens.
I am attempting to decide between 50mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.4.
Although I hear that the f/1.8 is amazing for its price, I would like to find out whether there is a huge difference in picture quality when it comes to low light between the two?

Also, to my understanding, the f/1.4G is the newer version of the previous f/1.4D. What are the differences between these two versions? why is the G $200 more than the D?

While there isn't a HUGE difference in picture quality, to me the 1.4 is well worth the price. And as to the 1.4 D vs G. The g has a focusing motor in the body so it will auto focus with the Nikon entry level cameras. It also tends to speed up focusing a bit.

Hello,
I have recently acquired the Nikon D80 camera, and am looking to buy a new lens.
I am attempting to decide between 50mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.4.
Although I hear that the f/1.8 is amazing for its price, I would like to find out whether there is a huge difference in picture quality when it comes to low light between the two?

Also, to my understanding, the f/1.4G is the newer version of the previous f/1.4D. What are the differences between these two versions? why is the G $200 more than the D?

Thanks a lot for any help in clarifying this for me

Click to expand...

I would get the 50mm f/1.4D lens. I have it for my D80 and it's excellent. At f/1.4 it's not great, but by f/2 it's very sharp and vignetting is negligible.

The 50mm f/1.4G model isn't worth the extra money unless you need the in-lens focus motor, which you don't since you have a D80. The two lenses are almost identical in terms of optical quality. However, if you want to split hairs, the 50mm f/1.4D lens has slightly less distortion, but has a tiny bit more vignetting at wider apertures than the 50mm f/1.4G. The G also has slightly more overall CA than the D. Both are equally sharp.

If money is a concern, just get the f/1.8 lens. It's a fine lens and is very sharp. It has almost half as much distortion than the f/1.4D, but more overall CA at larger apertures. If you plan on shooting in low light a lot, get the f/1.4D. Not only is it a faster lens (in terms of max aperture), but it will be sharper at f/2 than the f/1.8 lens. The f/1.4D performs better at larger apertures.

The 50mm f/1.8 is probably the biggest bang for the buck in Nikon's lens selection.